The tops and bottoms of the bodies



V E. W. BLISS. MACHINE FOR BENDING TOPS AND BOTTOMS OF BODIES 0F TINCANS.

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ELIPHALET W. BLISS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES PRATT, OFNEW' YORK CITY.

Letters Patent No. 82,481, dated September 29, 1868.

' mnovnwmn'r m MACHINE FOR surname THE TOPS Aw BODIES OI TIN CANS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELIPHALET W; Bmss, ofBrooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Machines for Bending the Tops and Bottomsof the Bodies of Tin Cans; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to the manufacture of tin cans where the seams arefirst closed by bending the edges of the plate of tin and thensoldering.

My machine is constructed for making square or cubical cans, but thesame principle may be applied to round cans, or to any other desirableform.

My invention consists chiefly in the arrangement of four clamping-jaws,in combination with a trcadle and four cam-levers, the latter beingprovided with frictionrollers, and thus bearing against a pyramidal orfoursided cam, which slides upon a rigid, square, central guide, for thepurpose of clamping all four sides of la square can at the same time,and especially for securing the same exact mechanical motion for each ofthe four jaws, and thus making the seams, on the four sides of the can,all uniform and close. It also consists in other improvements, hereafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a side view of my machine.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same.

In the construction of my machine, a suitable frame,

A, is made, which may be placed upon a cast-iron pcdestal or tripod, B,to keep the legs rigid when the machine is movable, or not fastened tothe floor.

Upon the bed-plate of the machine are arranged four sliding jaws, O, inconnection with a-centre-piecc,

i, for supporting can D, fig. 1. These slides work upon rigid guides, E,and are moved by the cam-levers F, as will be soon described.

A central cam-guide, G, is rigidly fixed to the under side of thebed-plate of the frame A, for preventing the sliding cam H from beingpushed one side by the cam-levers F, or by the action of the treadle.This guide is square, corresponding to the four sides of the cam H andthe four cam-levers. By this construction,

the rollers of the cam-levers travel on a broad, flat surface of thecam-slide, which, moving on a square guide, cannot revolve. Thereforeeach lever must be moved exactly the same distance of each other lever,thus Y pivoted to the cam, and also to the treadle, in order to preventany lateral pressure upon the camas the treaclle descends, and the lowerends of the rods N swing to one side, as seen in red lines, fig. 1.

\Vhen the treadle L is released, the springs K, acting through thelevers F, move back all the jaws G. i" The body of the can, beingalready formed so far as uniting the side plates, is placed upon themachine, as seen at D, fig. 1, where the same is held by the cap 0,brought down by means of thelevcr P, connecting-rod R, and treadle S.Then the jaws O are moved for- 'ward, by means of the treadle L, thusclamping and bending all the sides of the can at the same The edgesofthe head of the can are bent up and upon the outside of the side plates,and forced into the grooves in those plates made by the edges of thejaws G. The joint thus made is very close and uniform, requiring verylittle solder to perfectly seal the same. The necessary solder may beapplied by dipping the head, or seam around the head, into a groove ofmolten solder, or with the soldering-copper.

Having thus fully described my invention,

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcnt, is a l. Thesquare or pyramidal cam-slide, in combination with the rigid centralguide, the cam-levers, and the four clamping-jaws, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of the cam-slide with the swinging levers M andtreadle L, substantially as set forth.

3. The arrangement and combination of the cap 0, lever P, connecting-rodR, and trcadle S, substantially as described. 7

ELIPHALET W. BLISS. Witnesses:

HENRY STANTON, Fnnnn. B. MILES.

